In the Garden: Are old seeds still good?

4:26 PM,
Jan. 13, 2014

Written by

Richard Poffenbaugh
CentralOhio.com

Most gardeners save seeds from one year to the next. They don't purchase new or "fresh" seeds each year. But as the years pass, more and more seed packets are in storage. Then one year, some of the seeds fail and no plants come up. Odds are they were old seeds with a low percentage of germination.

Germination is when a seed sprouts. For every 100 seeds, the goal is to have 90 or more germinate. The percentage of germination is marked on each seed packet. With a 90 percent germination, most of the seeds sprout and grow. If the old seeds have fallen to a 50 percent germination, only half the seeds will grow. ...